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Head Games, Objet d'Art with Marionette Head and Found Objects

About the Item

Self-taught artist John Seubert, AKA John Dolly, uses objects he uncovers as he rehabs older homes in Chicago. This piece has a thin metal disc mounted to a wooden column. A severed marionette head dangles from a spring on one side. The artist has signed the back with the piece's title - "Head Games" and his name - simply "John". John Seubert Head Games found objects 20h x 11w x 6.50d in 50.80h x 27.94w x 16.51d cm JSE084 In the early Nineties, John Seubert was living in a former hotel in a high-rise building on St. James Place in Chicago. The apartment was tiny, as hotel rooms tend to be, and clad with paper-thin walls allowing sound to pass from one apartment to the other. At the time, John’s artwork consisted of pounding copper sheets into tables which was a noisy endeavor to say the least. Following several noise complaints from the neighbors, John had a dream that he was living in a ramshackle house but with plenty of room to work and no attached neighbors. The following day after lunching at the McDonalds in Lincoln Park, John wandered the neighborhood a came upon a shabby, falling-down old Victorian house. He located the real estate agent, put in an offer, and weeks later was pushing a shopping cart full of his belongings to his new home. This 144-year-old Painted Lady provided a blank canvas for this inimitable artist. For many years the house remained so empty that John was able to ride his Japanese fold up bike throughout the 1st floor. “Some people want to have sex in every room, I’ve made art in every room,” says John casually when asked in which room he keeps his studio. The original bumpy-lumpy plaster walls and roly-poly hardwood floors have had their influence on his artwork and vice versa; the artist constantly evolves and devolves with his living environment. Over the years, John has experimented with numerous art forms: welding, ceramics, photography, jewelry making, painting, and sculpture of various kinds. The minute a medium becomes tedious, he drops it and moves on. Until he rediscovers his own work in the place where he’d first set it aside in his home. One thing leads to another and back again.
  • Creator:
    John Seubert (Artist)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 11 in (27.94 cm)Depth: 6.5 in (16.51 cm)
  • Style:
    Modern (In the Style Of)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    2024
  • Production Type:
    New & Custom(One of a Kind)
  • Estimated Production Time:
    Available Now
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    Chicago, IL
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: JSE0841stDibs: LU4511141061062

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Fountain of Lies, Objet d'Art with Painting and Found Objects
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Self-taught artist John Seubert, AKA John Dolly, uses objects he uncovers as he rehabs older homes in Chicago. This piece has a figurative painting mounted as a shrine then set upon a corinthian capital and a granite stand. A metal plaque at the top as well as at the bottom give the piece it's title 'The Fountain on Lies". John Seubert The Fountain of LIes mixed media Measures: 22.50h x 13.50w x 4d in 57.15h x 34.29w x 10.16d cm JSE069 In the early Nineties, John Seubert was living in a former hotel in a high-rise building on St. James Place in Chicago. The apartment was tiny, as hotel rooms tend to be, and clad with paper-thin walls allowing sound to pass from one apartment to the other. At the time, John’s artwork consisted of pounding copper sheets into tables which was a noisy endeavor to say the least. Following several noise complaints from the neighbors, John had a dream that he was living in a ramshackle house but with plenty of room to work and no attached neighbors. The following day after lunching at the McDonalds in Lincoln Park, John wandered the neighborhood a came upon a shabby, falling-down old Victorian house. He located the real estate agent, put in an offer, and weeks later was pushing a shopping cart full of his belongings to his new home. This 144-year-old Painted Lady provided a blank canvas for this inimitable artist. For many years the house remained so empty that John was able to ride his Japanese fold up bike throughout the 1st floor. “Some people want to have sex...
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I Need a Boy-Toy, Vanity Mirror, Mixed Media Objet D'art
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Self-taught artist John Seubert, AKA John Dolly, uses objects he uncovers as he rehabs older homes in Chicago. This piece has two frames that are hinged together. A mirror adorns the outside. When opened, the right panel has a primitive figure painting while the left has a metal plaque with the phrase "I Need a Boy Toy" stamped into it. When closed, the back panel is stamped with "Like I Need a Refrigerator" and signed. John Seubert I Need a Boy-Toy (Like I Need a Refrigerator) mixed media 12.50h x 8.50w x 1.50d in 31.75h x 21.59w x 3.81d cm JSE074 In the early Nineties, John Seubert was living in a former hotel in a high-rise building on St. James Place in Chicago. The apartment was tiny, as hotel rooms tend to be, and clad with paper-thin walls allowing sound to pass from one apartment to the other. At the time, John’s artwork consisted of pounding copper sheets into tables which was a noisy endeavor to say the least. Following several noise complaints from the neighbors, John had a dream that he was living in a ramshackle house but with plenty of room to work and no attached neighbors. The following day after lunching at the McDonalds in Lincoln Park, John wandered the neighborhood a came upon a shabby, falling-down old Victorian house. He located the real estate agent, put in an offer, and weeks later was pushing a shopping cart full of his belongings to his new home. This 144-year-old Painted Lady provided a blank canvas for this inimitable artist. For many years the house remained so empty that John was able to ride his Japanese fold up bike throughout the 1st floor. “Some people want to have sex...
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Don't You Dare - Multi-Panel Folding Door Painting, Objet D'art
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